Spitting Image - Reviewing the Situation
The Sound of Maggie! - Reviewing the Situation
"Reviewing the Situation" is the third song from the Spitting Image special The Sound of Maggie!, and is a parody of "Reviewing the Situation" by Lionel Bart from the 1960 musical Oliver! The Spitting Image version is sung by Neil Kinnock and the Labour Party.
Kinnock, here playing a version of the bumbling villain Fagin, sings about his various problems with creating policies and being a competent Leader of the Opposition, with backing vocals provided by his Deputy Leader, Roy Hattersley, and other members of the Labour Party, which includes Michael Foot and Denis Healey in its numbers.
Lyrics[]
(Neil Kinnock)
A man’s got to start, hasn’t he?
Joking apart, Hattersley!
I’m reviewing the situation,
'Cause I don’t know if I’m for it or against.
Yes, I’m full of determination,
But I’m worried, so I’m, like, sitting on the fence!
'Cause if we go unilateral,
The generals that matter’ll
Say Britain is attackable,
And we’ll become un-backable,
So then we’ll drop our clarity,
And lose our popularity…
I think I’d better think it out again!
(Labour Party Chorus)
He’s reviewing… (Yes!) The situation… (Uh-huh!)
And his policies are changing every day, (Ah!)
After seeing… (Ah!) No transformation, (Ah!)
He’s a loser, and a loser he will stay! (I should know!)
All his policies are changeable,
Infusibly arrangeable,
Which doesn’t make him credible,
So people who are fed up'll,
Believe there’s no alternative,
And then they’ll vote Conservative… (Ah...)
We think you’d better think it out again! Hey!
Lyrics[]
Michael Foot, who was depicted as a mad old man by the Spitting Image team, can be heard making his famous ramblings throughout the song.